Need Feedback From ALL MLP Organizers

For those of you that were not at our meeting on Tuesday, please respond to this proposal and let us know your thoughts. If there are no blocking concerns expressed by Thursday, May 31st we will move forward with this proposed framework. (I just came up with an arbitrary, but seemingly fair date…the date was not talked about during the mtg because we didn’t think about it. If someone has concern with there being a deadline for blocking concerns please let us know – MO)

At our meeting on Tuesday, it was proposed that Mind(ful) Liberation Project and peer support should be split into two separate entities.

Main reason: MLP should be able to be it’s own separate political entity without requiring peer support attendees to be political or even agree on the same political views. Everyone should be able to come and get peer support without having to talk about politics if they do not want to.

Second reason: When taking pointed political stances, MLP will be accused of being insular and close-minded, regardless of whether we are or not. This should not reflect on or stigmatize peer support.

The proposed structure for the new MLP/peer support split would be as follows:

MLP can endorse peer support in general and various other events that we do not ourselves organize, just like any other group can endorse things.

MLP will continue to have our own events, like we have in the past, but all peer support meetings in Richmond will be under the more generic title of “RVA Peer Support”.

RVA Peer Support will not have any political leanings.

MLP will host peer support facilitation trainings so that people can start their own peer support groups all over the city and beyond.

Everyone at the meeting supported and agreed to this framework, the idea of splitting MLP and peer support, and decentralizing peer support in general. We all agreed that peer support should be an idea, not one specific group. A quote by Eugene Ionesco is very relevant here: “Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together.”

Again, please respond with any concerns by Thursday, May 31st. You can comment on this entry, call 804-888-1709, or email mindfulliberationproject@gmail.com with your thoughts and concerns. In person conversation is also welcome, just whatever people are comfortable with we are down for. We will try to contact people directly that have expressed interest in organizing with MLP individually before that date.